R and R
by Ardin
Summary: After the Goauld are defeated, the SGC celebrates in grand fashion. SamJack.


**R and R** By Ardin

Disclaimer: I'm a poor college student and I don't own any part of the Stargate franchise. Wish I did, but I don't.

A/N: My first Stargate fanfiction. Let me know what you guys think.

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"Offworld activation, we have an offworld activation." Hammond rushed from his office down to the control room. He'd received word from the Tok'ra that the last Goauld mothership was destroyed by the Asgard just hours before, but one of his teams had yet to come back from that battle. SG-1 was three hours past the arrival time of every other team in that conflict. "Receiving IDC. It's…the Tok'ra, sir."

Hammond's heart fell slightly. They'd had six of these Tok'ra calls in the last three hours and each time Hammond hoped they would bring news of his team. Each time though, Jacob Carter would come through, hoping just as hard for news of his daughter.

"Open the iris." He sighed and headed down to the gate room expecting a still disappointed father. He entered the room, "Stand down." He barked at the SFs, sounding harsher than he had meant, but this was really starting to grate on him. It's not like this sort of thing really even surprised him any more. If something could go wrong, it would, and, whatsmore, it would go wrong for SG-1. He was beginning to understand the rumors of the team's bad karma.

As the iris slid open to reveal the blue of the event horizon, Hammond prepared himself for the conversation. And all his preparation went right out the window as four very dirty, very tired looking individuals in USAF standard issue BDUs came through. They were followed by Jacob Carter, who merely looked on as the team walked unsteadily to the edge of the ramp and, as one, sat down. Sam glanced at the expression on Hammond's face and immediately started explaining themselves.

"We were right behind SG-6, sir. Jaffa appeared out of nowhere. We took care of them, but by the time we had secured the area all the others teams had already gated. The one GDO we had grabbed during our escape was destroyed during the fire fight. When we arrived at the gate it was with the intention of gating to the Tok'ra world immediately, but we didn't have time to remember the symbols before we were attacked again. The System Lords may be gone, but there are a lot of seriously pissed off Jaffa now." She paused to catch her breath and stifle a yawn.

"Take your time, Major."

"Thank you, sir. Like I was saying, we were attacked so the Colonel dialed the first thing that popped into his head. Unfortunately that landed us on a planet of not so friendlies as well and forced another quick dial out. The next planet allowed us the time we needed and that time we got through to the Tok'ra. That was about thirty minutes ago, but they wouldn't let us back until Dad was sure we were okay. So we went through their infirmary and got checked out and now we're here."

Hammond turned to Jacob and allowed Carter to rest a second. "So they've seen the docs already, Jake? How are they?"

"Aside from some bumps, bruises and a serious case of exhaustion, they're fine. I had planned on having them stay and rest, but they insisted on returning." Jacob smiled down at his daughter, who grinned back. They'd survived again and this time they'd taken down the most serious threat the galaxy had ever seen. He'd spoken to Thor, who'd assured him that the Asgard would take care of all the little details of their victory. Resettlement and the like.

"Well since you've already been to an infirmary," Hammond spoke to SG-1, who had managed to regain their feet, "I don't see that you have any need to see Frasier." At this Jack literally jumped up and down a few times and punched the air triumphantly, before opening his mouth to emit a yawn much like the one Sam had just stifled. "But you are all required to rest, sleep if possible, for the next twelve hours."

The four nodded before shuffling out of the room. Hammond caught Jack's voice as they exited, "Twelve hours, huh? Not bad, that's only twelve hours less than I actually want to sleep." Hammond made a mental note to make sure that the team knew that they were on official down time for three days and turned back to Jacob. There was a detail of their victory that he very much wanted to run by the other man.

The next three days passed quickly for the SGC as everyone tried to adjust to the fact that the Goauld were a part of the past. People began making plans. Life long officers made the final decision to retire and were allowed to do so. Weddings were planned and lifelong decisions were made. SG-1, however, went along in much the same way they always did. Daniel had found some ruins on the Goauld mothership that he was now working hard to translate, with a little help from Teal'c, who otherwise meditated in his quarters on what the future meant for his people. Sam spent every available hour in her lab, catching up on numerous projects. And Jack worked on the pile of paper work that the battle had landed on his desk, though this was frequently interrupted by walks around the base. On one of these tours he found himself, not unusually, at Sam's lab.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked, knocking lightly on the door frame before entering. She was hunched over a microscope, examining the minute connections on some piece of technology. She looked up and smiled, the type of smile he hadn't seen for well over a year, the one that took his breath away and immediately blocked out all rational thought. He grinned back, trying hard to reassert his thinking, and their eyes locked for a split second before she blushed and went back to her project. He continued.

"I just got finished talking to Smith and Cailson. They're both retiring now that this is over, though for some reason Hammond is having them hang around for another couple of weeks." He moved around her lab table so that he could see her reaction to the next part of his speech. "I'm thinking that they might have the right idea; thought I might do the same. It's been a while since I've been a civilian." At first there was no change in her posture, but he knew it would take a second to sink in.

And then it did. Slowly she turned away from her research and straightened to look at him. A look of hope and something else he couldn't place was etched clearly over her face for a split second only to be replaced by the blank expression that the last six years had ingrained in them. He hadn't expected this; if he retired then they wouldn't have to hide how they felt anymore. And then a nasty thought hit him. Maybe she didn't feel like that anymore. Only one way to find out and that was to press on.

He moved his head slightly trying to look her in the eyes, but she continued to look just over his shoulder. "There are some things I've been missing out on the last few years. Things I really want to do." She shifted her glance and caught his eyes.

"Like what…?" He could tell she had had to fight to keep the 'sir' off the end of that question. Without taking his eyes from hers, he forced himself to show the entirety of six years of emotion and knew that she could see it.

"You know what, Sam." Her name came as little more than a whisper as he took half a step towards her. She seemed to have lost the ability to speak and merely nodded slightly in confirmation. Just as he was about to step closer to take up the remaining distance, her phone rang. And that was it, in a heartbeat they were back to how they had been everyday for the last few years. She looked at him without really looking at him, and he did the same right back, raising an eyebrow questioningly as she lifted the receiver.

"Yes, sir … He's right here … We'll be right there." She hung up and, giving one last unhappy look at her research, shut down the microscope and turned to him, once more his 2IC. "That was the general, sir. He wants SG-1 in his office in ten. Daniel and Teal'c have already been told." He nodded curtly and made a comic gesture for her to lead the way, all the while berating himself for not having the courage to just come out and say what he meant.

When they arrived in Hammond's office it was to find that Danny and Teal'c had already arrived. Glancing first at Daniel, who merely shrugged, Jack turned his attention to the general.

"The Goauld are defeated. I think this calls for a celebration." Jack internally agreed, but images of the Air Force way of celebrating, a way that involved dress blues and very little real fun, kept him from expressing that agreement. The general continued, "Having spoken to Jacob, I have decided that this celebration is to be quite different from the normal. In that vein, preparations are being made and have been being made for the last two days. Preparations for a two week party." Jack's heart sank. Two weeks in dress blues? He'd rather spend two weeks fighting Jaffa. He was so caught up in thinking up ways to get out of it that he completely missed Hammond's next statement. But he couldn't miss the incredibly surprised look on Sam's face or the excitement that lit up Daniel. Even Teal'c looked suitably impressed.

"Sorry, sir. Could you repeat that last bit?"

Hammond raised an eyebrow, "The party will be for SGC personnel only and be held offworld. Jacob has identified a quiet little planet with no life besides the flora. We checked it out. There's a lake, forest and a wide open plain, all within easy distance of the Stargate."

Jack couldn't believe it. He stood there open mouthed and stared. He couldn't believe that Hammond had authorized something like this, and was even more shocked that he hadn't been the one to think of it. A party offworld. For two weeks. Talk about one hell of a vacation.

Hammond gave them all a few more seconds to digest the information before continuing on. "We have already assembled sleeping quarters near the gate, though the temperature is quite reasonable all night if people want to sleep under the stars. A MALP has been set up with a permanent IDC signal so no one has to carry them when they dial back. Leave begins tomorrow at 0800. I'm informed that music and lighting systems will be in place in no more than 48 hours. No uniforms allowed." Not for the first time today while making this announcement he wished he had a camera. SG-1, heroes of Earth, were speechless. They gaped like bass just pulled from the water. And now the fun part.

"SG-1 will be allowed to depart as soon as all outstanding paper work is completed." He watched as Jack's face fell. He'd been working on that stuff for three days and had barely made a dent. But motivation would change that.

Jack started to leave the room, but had barely pivoted before turning back. "Permission to leave, sir." Hammond nodded and Jack was gone, sprinting for all he was worth down the corridors to his office. The rest of SG-1 followed him out at a more reasonable pace. Hammond grinned when he was alone. Jack would finish his paper work, even if Sam had to hold the pencil in his hand and move it for him.

Upon exiting the gate the next day just after 1100 they found themselves on the grassy plain that Hammond had described. The sun was just reaching its zenith and the air was warm and filled with the voices of the hundred or so people who had come through before them. Too early in the outing for any serious partying to have started, most were lounging about enjoying the sun and each others company. At the lake a few individuals could be seen horsing about in the water. Nearer to the gate, SG-17 and a couple of gate techs were tossing a Frisbee back and forth. The most noticeable activity, though, came from the far end of the plain where a stretch of completely flat land had been transformed into a soccer field. Jack smiled broadly and jerked a thumb in that direction. The others nodded and they headed over.

About two dozen men and women were at play and others sat around the perimeter and watched or cheered their favorites on. The teams were using red and blue paint on forearms, chests and occasionally faces to distinguish them. Jack waved Ferretti over during a short break in the game. The man had a large blue hand print on his face and judging by his clean hands, he had not been the one to put it there.

"Hey Jack, I wondered when you would get yourself over here. I've been here since daybreak." He smiled at Sam and Daniel. Teal'c was watching the teams that milled about with apparent fascination. "You guys gonna join in?"

"No thanks. I can run and I can kick a ball, but I can't do both at the same time." Sam joked and grinned at the way Jack was shaking his head. Silent laughter was easily read on his face. Daniel just shook his head and wandered over to Teal'c and started explaining the point of the sport.

"Okay, but you'll play, right Jack? We could use another good player to offset our marines. Ball hogs, every one." Jack nodded enthusiastically and Ferretti tossed him a bottle of blue paint before heading back on to the field.

Jack bent down to tighten the laces on his shoes and Sam took the opportunity to subtly enjoy the view of her COs six. She hadn't thought that soccer would be his kind of sport. She'd pictured him as more of a baseball sort of guy. Jack glanced over his shoulder and, noticing where his 2IC's gaze was fixed, stood quickly with a slight blush which disappeared shortly and was replaced by a playful grin. Thanking whichever power was listening that the shorts he was wearing were drawstring rather than belt, he quickly pulled his T-shirt over his head. He could hear Sam's breath catch slightly as she watched him and brightened with the idea that at his age he could still have that effect on a beautiful woman. And she wasn't the only one watching either. Many of the female spectators looked on appreciatively as the base 2IC stripped. Glancing down at his shirt, which he held balled in his hands, and back up at Sam he grinned and winked cheekily before tossing her the shirt, applying twin stripes of paint to both shoulders, and heading out on to the field. She colored brightly before folding the shirt and, resisting the urge to bring it to her nose and inhale his uniquely Jack scent, set it down with his discarded cell phone and wallet.

Ever since that last battle the level of flirting going on between the two officers had risen to new heights. Small glances, comments and Jack's implication that retirement was on the horizon combined to give Sam hope for the very near future.

Ignoring the jealous looks sent her way by the other women; she wandered over to where Daniel and Teal'c were setting themselves to watch the game. Teal'c seemed unaware of what had just occurred, but Daniel's face had a curious and slightly smug look that clearly said, 'It's about time.' Sam merely glared and shook her head before seating herself in the soft grass.

Sam joined the rest of the spectators in cheering the players on, concentrating mostly on Jack, but enthusiastically encouraging Ferretti, Davis and, about half an hour later, Cassie and Janet, who dove into the game on opposite sides. Despite his frequent complaints about his aching knees, Jack was extremely good. He wove seemingly effortlessly between other players never losing control over the ball at his feet. To Sam's unexperienced eyes he was the best player on the field, but this didn't stop him from ensuring that everyone got a chance to play. The game paused often and he would use these opportunities to console Davis on his failed goal attempt and to teach Cassie a new dribbling technique.

When the game finally wrapped up, the sun was beginning to set, but the temperature had not changed significantly. Enticing odors could be smelled from the barbeque that had been set up at the edge of the field. Daniel grabbed food for himself and Sam along with a couple of beers and they settled back in to eat. Sam leaned back against a convenient boulder on the edge of the woods where she could watch the moons rise and Daniel took the opportunity to use her legs as a pillow with only the barest of good natured scolds from her at his presumption. When Jack wandered over, still shirtless and glistening slightly from sweat, with a plate full of food, he followed Daniel's lead, though he choose a section that was more her lap then her legs.

They enjoyed the food and light conversation for another hour or so, Sam finding herself unusually comfortable with Jack resting as he was (Daniel had moved over to Teal'c and was attempting to explain Frisbee). She looked down and noticed that his plate was down to just one lonely potato chip. Grinning to herself she reached down and snagged it, earning his fierce protests.

"Hey! If you want some get up and get your own, or at least ask." His wide smile and the glint in his chocolate eyes told her he was less than completely serious. "Besides I was going to eat that." He pouted cutely and a sudden urge took over her.

"Fine, you can have it." Her voice was soft and she took advantage of the fact that no one was within earshot. "Open your mouth." She held the chip above his lips and lowered it when he complied with her request. As he closed his mouth around it, brushing his lips lightly on her fingers as he did so, she moved her other hand and gently caressed his cheek. The glint in his eyes was suddenly lost in the darkness that overcame them as an expression she couldn't place appeared on his face. He rolled slightly onto his elbow and moved towards her. When he was just a few inches from her face, he stopped and seemed to shake himself. Moving away from her and standing up, she heard him mutter as if only to himself, "No. I…We can't." He then took off at a light jog toward the tented barracks that had been set up for anyone that didn't feel like sleeping outdoors.

She shook herself mentally and tried to put on a convincingly confused look as Daniel glanced at the receding Jack and then at her. Internally she was ranting at herself for doing anything so stupid. He was right, they couldn't. As much as she might want to or he might want to, he was still her CO and until that changed nothing else would. She hoped, though, that tomorrow would return them to where they had been before this evening, but not before this day. She wanted the flirting and the closer friendship that came with it. She shook herself again and tried to bring her thoughts back to the stars that were coming out. 'What happens, happens.' she told herself, but couldn't get the look in his eyes completely out of her mind.

When she woke the next morning, she was still out in the field, having laid out a blanket and fallen asleep on it the night before, but she was now covered by a similar blanket and someone had removed her shoes to make her more comfortable. She sat up and stretched, reveling in the fact that this little camping trip would in no way include a fire fight or an unwanted ten mile hike.

Glancing at her watch she stood quickly, startled that she had managed to sleep so long. Already smells from the preparations of an early lunch were floating enticingly through the air and she folded the blankets and took them over to the tent by the gate while attempting to smooth her rumpled hair.

The day passed much as the one before had, though she noticed that Jack had disappeared. When she asked Daniel about it he said something about a long dayhike. She nodded and tried to put him out of her mind.

After a light meal and an energized, though wholly nonserious game of kickball, she settled down with a book by the lake. She had found a small secluded cove when exploring for a few minutes the other day and knew it would be a quiet, undisturbed place to sit. It had been a long time since she had been able to read whatever she pleased just for the fun of it and was looking forward to spending the day with her copy of "Foundation." So absorbed was she with the doings of Hari Seldon, that she didn't hear Jack as he came up behind her and was suitably startled when he spoke.

"Whatcha reading?" He smiled as she nearly jumped out of her skin and settled himself on the beach a few feet away. His T-shirt was damp from his hike and the open pack at his feet revealed a very interesting array of items including a small portable telescope. But what really caught her eye was the hard bound edition that had been lovingly packed in the outer pocket.

"Asimov's "Foundation." And you?" Sam allowed her voice to register the surprise at finding Jack O'Neill with a book. He cringed slightly and then grinned before pulling it out of the bag.

"Harry Potter. The third one. Cassie…" He let his voice trail off as he caught sight of the skeptical look on her face and shrugged. Opening to his marked place a few chapters in, he waited until she had gone back to her book and than he studied her out of the corner of his eye. Her hair was messy, as though she had been unable to find a comb when she woke. He grinned at the way she tucked one knee to her chest and at how she smiled when she read something interesting or funny. She was so absorbed and that was one of the things he loved the most about her. Everything she did, she did with her entire being. He just wished he could tell her how much he loved that.

'And why can't I? What's the worst that can happen? And after her behavior last night I can hardly doubt that she has feelings for me.' The thought came unbidden. He was about to speak when a loud noise began behind them.

Looking over toward the gate and then at each other, they stood by silent mutual agreement; her closing her book and picking up her towel and him slinging his pack back over his shoulders. As they neared the source of the noise it became apparent what the cause had been.

Near where the soccer field had been the day before a large number of tables had been set up. Large rectangular ones were overloaded with food and drinks while smaller circular ones had been rung with chairs. This was barely remarkable compared to the light poles and speaker system that had been set up as well. As the sun continued to sink behind the trees dozens of lights sprang to life to illuminate the tables and the open area between them that was obviously meant to be a dance floor. Loud '40s jazz blared from the speakers.

Daniel and Teal'c had already commandeered a table right along the edge of the dance floor and were saving them both seats. They each grabbed food and drinks, while tossing jokes back and forth with the others. Sam was pretty sure that every member of the SGC was here, with the notable exception of Hammond, who had yet to make an appearance. They made their way back to the table and had only been seated a minute or so when their last two chairs were taken by Janet and a slightly sunburned Cassie.

The meal passed loudly and the music was only partially to blame. People shouted between tables and laughed riotously at jokes. Conversations intermingled and smiles could be seen everywhere. It had been a very long time since this group had had so much reason to be happy. And the music complimented the varied goings-on well. Everything from jazz to swing to heavy metal played at one point or another. It was as though someone with very eclectic tastes had stuck their iPod on shuffle. And for every piece of music there was someone willing to dance to it.

Midmeal Daniel dragged Janet onto the floor for an upbeat swing number and proved to the assembly that he wasn't as clumsy as they all thought. Cassie told Sam and Jack that swing was her mother's favorite and that Daniel had learned for that very specific reason. Jack shook his head and commented that it was about time Danny went after something he wanted and Sam just laughed as Janet came up blushing after Daniel had dipped her and whispered something in her ear.

Ferretti made the mistake of explaining moshing to Teal'c, who decided to practice and found no one willing to take the risk of jumping around with him.

Cassie grumbled loudly about the lack of guys her age until a young twenty-something airman in blue jeans and a "Boondock Saints" T-shirt came up to her. He seemed incredibly nervous and, after some stuttering, managed to get across the point that he would like to dance with her. She smiled sweetly, meaning to put him at ease, but only succeeding in making him more nervous, and took his offered hand.

And through it all Jack and Sam sat and ate, occasionally shooting glances at each other. Eventually, frustrated by his lack of nerve with this woman he knew so well, he went in search of another bottle of beer, hoping that liquid courage would aid the matter. When he returned it was to find the table empty. Daniel and Sam danced to the slow pop number while Cassie stood on Teal'c's feet as he spun her around slowly. Janet was at the edge of the floor talking to Cassie's would-be Romeo, Mike. It was obvious that she was playing the mother bear protecting her cub. For some reason this seemed to calm his nervousness significantly.

Sighing Jack sunk into his chair and nursed his beer. Man after man asked to dance with Sam and she danced with each while refusing to let any one person monopolize her time. Jack couldn't blame them. Even in her jeans and plain T-shirt, Sam looked gorgeous; smiling the entire time and laughing at the comments of her partners. Every once in awhile she would glance over at him. During these moments he would pretend to be completely interested in the table top, his beer, or the nonexistent dust on his shirt. And each time he would miss the disappointment in her eyes.

Just as he was about to slink off to wallow in self pity, a slow romantic song that he remembered his parents dancing to as he grew up streamed from the speakers. He looked to the floor to see Simmons asking Sam for a dance and jealousy coursed through him. There was no way he was going to let that boy dance with her. Not now. Not to this song.

Setting his beer down and standing abruptly he threaded his way through the dancers to her side. Shaking his head vehemently at Simmons, he offered his hand to Sam, who accepted it with a blush. Pulling her lightly into his arms, close, but not to close, they began to sway to the soft beat.

They danced the rest of the evening together, though never in such a way that would suggest they were anything more than friends and comrades. During the more ridiculous musical choices they would take a break, grab a quick drink and then head back on to the floor. She was impressed that, like Daniel, he could swing dance and he was shocked when she shouted out the words to Green Day's "Minority" along with the rest of the crowd. As the night grew later, people gradually began to disperse to various sleeping quarters. Jack and Sam were the last ones to leave the party area.

Sam yawned. She'd been trying to stifle it for some time and could do it no longer. She glanced at her watch: 0300. Looking up at him, she smiled and stepped out of his arms. Giving her a sad little smile back he nodded and stepped away too.

"Goodnight, Jack." The sadness in his expression disappeared at the sound of his given name. She turned and moved off into the darkness. He flicked off the stereo, which, it turned out, was just a jury rigged iPod and unplugged the lights from the generator. Turning back to the direction she had left by, he whispered to the night.

"Goodnight, Samantha."

The next few days that followed were much the same. They rarely started before about 1100 and frequently went till well past 0200. Sam and the rest of SG-1 would eat lunch together, sitting comfortably in the grass and then they would move on to large group activities. Daniel was reminded of a summer camp he had gone to growing up. Capture the flag, baseball, and tag were not unusual pursuits during this time. Hikes, both large and small, were arranged. A few of the men, Sam noticed that they were mostly the ones about to retire, sat for hours by the lake that was devoid of life and fished. Daniel and Janet began disappearing for periods of time and Cassie was jumping for joy because of this fact. That is, when she wasn't doing the same with Mike, who had quickly lost his nerves at her easy exceptance and apparent enjoyment at spending time with him.

In the late afternoons Sam took one of her many books over to the lake and sat reading until nightfall. Sometimes Jack would join her and they would sit in silence, neither one willing to take the first step. And then they would return to 'camp' together for dinner and partying.

Their sixth day came and Jack began to have serious thoughts about going back to the SGC and dragging Hammond out to join them. He was just about to inform Sam that he had come to that decision when the man in question appeared. Just as night fell and everyone was once again crowded around tables for dinner and dancing, the general appeared and signalled for the music to be shut off. Someone quickly complied and Hammond, having snagged a chair to stand on, addressed the assembled personnel.

"I hope all of you are having a great time." A roar of appoval was sent up and many people made shows of raising their glasses and plates to the man. "Good! You all deserve this, and so much more. For six years, you have been explorers on the most dangerous journey any human has ever taken. You've seen more horrors than the Inquisition, hiked more miles than Lewis and Clark, and defeated a foe more fearsome than most people could even imagine. And there have been loses along the way." Silence greeted this last statement as everyone thought back on those they had loved and lost. "I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for the strength and courage you have all shown and I wish that I could thank you more completely. For now I have an announcement that will hopefully go a long way toward that goal."

He paused dramatically and gave everyone time to glance questioningly at their neighbor or to lose themselves in thought at what would come next. "By decision of the Joint Chiefs and the President of the United States, the Stargate project is going public and all of you will be given recognition for your parts in making this successful." Atom bombs have gone off with less noise than the men and women of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex made at that moment. Cheers and random yelling stretched on for minutes. Friends hugged friends, teams congratulated each other, and other craziness abounded. Ferretti flipped off the sky, yelling curses at the now nonexistent Goauld, and Daniel swept Janet into a kiss that left them both seeing stars and blushing uncontrollably. Mike looked as though he would follow Daniel's example with Cassie, but one glare from Janet quickly changed his mind. When order had once again resumed to some extent, Hammond continued.

"No team has put themselves into more danger, both voluntarily and forcibly, or survived more obstacles and catastrophes than SG-1." He stepped down and beckoned the team forward. They soon stood just in front of Hammond, facing the others. "It is my honor to present these individuals with special gifts from the Air Force and their country." He handed each of them an envelope, shook hands, hugged each member and then signalled that the music should be turned back on.

As someone started a "hip-hip-hurrah" chorus for the general, Jack jerked his thumb questioningly into the darkness and the others followed him out of the crowd. When they were a sufficient distance from the curious glances of others, they opened the envelopes. Both Daniel's and Teal'c's contained long letters from the President, but Jack and Sam's were much shorter and directly to the point:

"Colonel Jonathan O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter, having proved themselves to be most capable officers time and time again, are hereby awarded with a revocation of fraternization regulations as recommended by General George Hammond. We give our heartiest congratulations for this award and offer our hopes for a very happy future for them both." These identical statements were signed by the President and the Joint Chief of the Air Force.

As Daniel and Teal'c were still absorbed with reading their letters, Jack turned to Sam who smiled lovingly back at him. Then a mischeivious look took over and she pointed down at the letter and then at Daniel and Teal'c and shook her head while mouthing the words "Not yet" to him. He nodded, understanding her desire to have a little fun with them.

Turning to Daniel who had just finished reading his letter, Jack asked, "So what did you get Danny?"

The younger man smiled brightly, "With the program going public, the US government has informed me that they are going to publicly back my theories from before all this and allow me to publish some of the stuff since then."

"That's great Daniel. After all these years of having the respected academic community laugh at you, you finally have a chance to be vindicated." Sam hugged him tightly.

"Yeah and you can rub it in their arrogant faces." Before either of them could object to Jack's statement he turned to Teal'c. "So, big guy, what did you get?"

"I have been granted a house in Colorado Springs that I may live in without guard. I believe the property is actually very near to yours O'Neill. And yourselves?"

The pair glanced quickly at each other before answering in unison, "Special award from the Air Force." Sam giggled at the unintentional harmony and Jack shot her a bemused look.

Daniel looked vaguely disturbed. "Well that's kind of crappy. Just some stupid award, that's lame."

"Oh I don't know about that." Sam smiled reassuringly at her friend, "I'm actually quite happy with it. Couldn't ask for anything more." Jack nodded his head in agreement and they all headed back to the party, Daniel shaking his head in utter confusion.

Within moments of their arrival back at the dance floor Daniel had been snagged by Janet and Teal'c was being questioned by Hammond on the exceptability of the property he'd been gifted. Sam and Jack just stood at the edge of it all, occasionally shaking hands with others who passed. As the strains of a familiar song sounded, Jack took Sam's hand and led her onto the dance floor where a large open space cleared for the pair.

The song was the same as the one they had danced to that second night, but this time Sam allowed herself to be completely encased by Jack's presence. 'No more hiding' she thought to herself before drapping her arms around his neck and running a hand through his hair. He pulled her tight against his body and the two swayed gently as the rest of the SGC looked on confused, many of them wondering how the pair could so completely lose their senses; especially with the general looking on. Sam buried her face in his neck and he shivered at the feeling of her breath on his neck and collarbone. Not releasing her, he moved his mouth to her ear and whispered softly.

"Wanna go fishing?" Their circular motion stopped as she pulled herself slightly away from him. He felt empty without her in his arms, but waited for her response. Stepping wholly away from him, she removed the President's letter from her pocket and handed it to Daniel. As he began to read through it she stepped back to Jack and nodded happily, tears streaming down her face. Daniel let out a gigantic whoop and handed the paper to Janet.

The pair standing on the dance floor were complete oblivious to the letter circulating, or the cheers that rose in response. Jack lifted a hand and wiped the tears from under her eyes. Raising his other hand to her face as she wrapped her hands around his waist, he cupped her face and brought his lips softly to hers. The kiss was gentle and loving at first, but turned quickly heated and passionate as Sam responded. When the two pulled apart, breathless, they noticed for the first time the yells, catcalls and whistles around them and both blushed beautifully before Jack kissed her lightly again and then pulled her back to him. They danced to the remainder of the song and then Sam pulled him away from the crowd.

The party continued later into the night than any of the previous days had. Music and drink flowed, and very few people noticed when the two military members of SG-1 gated back to Earth.

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A/N: And that's it. I realize that an offworld party is a little farfetched, but... Please let me know what you guys thought.


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